Toffee Shards
by Burgie
Summary: After the reset, all is not well for Vanellope. Long-forgotten nightmares resurface, but they feel so vivid, so... real. Are they really just a dream? Sequel to Critical Error so includes jawbreaker. Collab with ttobba95. M for a reason, I did warn you!
1. Prologue

**Before you start reading, I will warn you that this entire fic has a rape trigger warning so if that triggers you, I suggest giving this one a miss. And now onto the fic.**

_Darkness. All she could see was darkness._

_Her face wrinkled up in disgust as the dank, wet smell of stale sweets struck her nose. She could almost taste the repulsive odour on her lips and resisted the urge to spit. As she moved her head, she felt something around her neck. A collar. She tried to reach up with her hands, but she felt they were chained as well. She knew where this was: The Sugar Rush castle Fungeon. A place she had been often during the False King's rule._

_A flash of red in the corner of her eye signaled the arrival of a visitor, but not one of good intention. She didn't know why she was here, but she wanted out, now! She strained against the chains, to no avail. She could not even teleport out of them. Her abducter had prepared for her. The chains were specially made for her. Glitch-proof._

_A fist connected with her face, stinging her cheek. The attacker was in front of her now, eyes glowing with sadistic lust. She opened her mouth, tasting blood. The attacker took this opportunity to rip off one of his gloves and shove it in her mouth. "Now no-one's gonna hear you, stupid little girl._

_Again she thrashed against the chains, even though she knew it was pointless. It only served to make the abducter smile. He loved to watch his prey squirm..._

_She could only stand as the abductor began to beat her again, this time using a chain to whip her. She felt the links on the chain attack her wrists, her stomach, her ankles, anywhere the attacker pleased. She lost her inner battle and started to cry. The attacker smiled._

_He felt now was as good a time as any. "I hope you're ready for me, princess!" He laid hands on her. She felt unclean._

_"Vanellope.."_

_It was her name. All she had left._

_"Vanellope?"_

_That was not his voice._

_"Vanellope, wake up!"_

* * *

"AH!"

Vanellope Von Schweetz woke with a start. Her eyes snapped open and she sat up in her bed. No longer was she in the Fungeon. She was in her room. Her "Presidential Suite" in the Sugar Rush castle. Vanellope shivered, the nightmare still fresh in her mind.

"Is everything alright, Vanellope?" she heard a voice ask, making her jump. Looking towards the doorway to her room, she saw her trusted advisor, Sour Bill. The sour candy had heard his President's whimpers from his own room not far from hers, and had come to see what was the matter.

"S-sour Bill.." Vanellope started, "I'm fine, honest" she lied. Unfortunately the sour candy saw right through her lie and pointed out the faint lines on her cheeks leading from her eyes. She had been crying in her sleep. She was still crying. The President felt her still wet cheeks and eyes with a shaky hand. The nightmare had affected her more than she thought.

"Bad dream, President?" Sour Bill asked, concerned.

Vanellope could only nod. The dream itself, being chained up in the Fungeon and abused, both scared and confused the Sugar Rush ruler. It confused her because she didn't know why she was dreaming of it at all, and it scared her because this wasn't her first time having that nightmare. Vanellope thought hard, she thought back through the ten years of the False King's rule and she remembered many sleepless nights. She had had this nightmare before. Sometimes it had been more detailed and graphic, other times it was voices and pain with nothing else. Either way, it had always made Vanellope wake up with tears in her eyes and a pain in her heart. She also sometimes woke with a headache as well. It was one of the reasons why, when she had found Diet Cola Mountain, she made it her hideout. There, she found, the nightmares couldn't get her and she could sleep in peace. Everywhere else in Sugar Rush though..

_"I want my Mommy..."_ Sour Bill heard his ruler and ally speak. Looking up he saw his President holding herself, looking exactly like a scared little girl. Sour Bill jumped up onto Vanellope's bed. "Do you want your Mommy and Daddy?" he spoke with genuine care. The crying girl nodded.

"Alright then, I'll take you to see your Mommy and Daddy".

* * *

Night-time in Niceland was often peaceful and quiet, without a single 8-bit sound effect to wake anything. Although "Fix-It Felix Jr." had a permanent twilight sky, a real night-time, when citizens, handymen and wreckers alike all slept soundly until the morning, was always appreciated.

And no-one appreciated these nights more than the star of the game himself, Fix-It Felix Jr. Right now the blue-suited hero was in the Niceland apartment complex, enjoying a comfortable sleep with his one-and-only dynamyte gal, Tamora Jean Calhoun. The two had only gotten married yesterday, and the memories were still fresh in Felix's mind. They filled his dreams as he slept besides his "Hero's Duty" wife. He was so into his dream-memories that he did not hear the knocking at the front door. He did however feel his wife beside him wake up instantly upon hearing the unexpected noise (programmed habit). Calhoun scaled the steps down to the bottom floor, Felix rubbing his eyes as he followed her, and opened the door to find "Sugar Rush"'s own Sour Bill. A kart was parked nearby, and beside Sour Bill Felix and Calhoun saw their adopted daughter shaking and sobbing. Immediately Calhoun knelt down and embraced Vanellope in a hug, which the small girl returned.

It was almost a shock to Felix to see his wife, a Cybug shooting action girl in power armor, acting so motherly. He had seen it before, yes, but it still shocked him. This was still Sergeant Calhoun from "Hero's Duty" after all.

"Shh. Don't cry. I'm here now.." Calhoun cooed to Vanellope, trying to stop her crying "Felix and I are both here for you. Everything's alright now, you're safe.."

The comforting seemed to work as Vanellope started to wipe her eyes on her sleeves and sniffled. Felix ran back inside and came out with a small tissue box. He handed one to Vanellope to blow her nose. After everyone had made their way into the apartment, they sat in the main room. Felix and Sour Bill had pulled out chairs for themselves, while Calhoun sat Vanellope in her lap.

"I.. I had a nightmare, Mommy" Vanellope simply said, still shaken from her horrid dream.

"Wanna talk about it?" Calhoun asked, to which Vanellope shook her head. She didn't want anything to do with that awful nightmare ever again.

"Golly, it must have been one heck of a bad dream" Felix said. Sour Bill agreed "It was. I heard her whimpers and cries from my room. When I found her, she was tossing and turning in her bed. I had to wake her up", the sour candy explained "I don't know what she was dreaming of, but it couldn't have been anything good". Sour Bill turned to Calhoun "She said she wanted her Mommy.."

"And you brought her here" Calhoun finished for him. "Good work. You did the right thing".

"Thank you" Sour Bill nodded. "I think it's best if Vanellope stays here for the rest of the night. If it's no trouble to you, Mr and Mrs Fix-It".

Calhoun answered for herself and Felix "It's no trouble at all. We'll take care of her".

If he could have, Sour Bill would have smiled. Unfortunately his coding kept a permanent frown on his face. "Thank you. I'll come to take Vanellope back home in the morning before the arcade opens". With that, the sour candy exchanged goodbyes with the handyman and the Sergeant and exited Niceland.


	2. Chapter 1

In the morning, the bad dream had faded as it always did and Vanellope was ready for a long day of racing. Sure, the dream might return, but she still felt the burning desire in her code to race. It was as strong now as it had been when her game had first been plugged in. Those had been happy years, even if to her chagrin she couldn't remember them clearly. It had been so long ago that those early years were but a distant memory.

As the Quarter Alert sounded, the ruler of Sugar Rush zoomed her kart down the rainbow road and onto the track, late as per usual- she always slept for longer than any other racer, and even when she did get up in time she usually spent too long working on her kart.

"Okay, everybody, I'm here!" she called, taking her place up the front. She'd won the Random Roster Race the day before, and soon she was again winning races and exuberantly fist-bumping the screen. Sometimes, she just happened to win as Ralph was lifted off the Niceland building, and then their eyes would meet and she'd feel a little thrill at the reminder that he was her boyfriend.

After the arcade closed, rather than waltzing back over to Fix-it Felix Jr, Vanellope stayed behind in her game to work on her kart with Candlehead. The cupcake-themed racer had asked for the president to spend some time with her while they worked on their karts, a request which Vanellope was always happy to grant. As she tinkered with the undercarriage of her kart, she managed to dislodge a large chunk of the cocoa-dust road that had somehow wound up under there, coating herself in the cocoa dust. Coughing, she crawled out from under her kart and then giggled at her appearance.

"I haven't heard you giggle like that in a long time," Candlehead commented after laughing at her dust-coated visage.

"I used to giggle like that?" the president asked, wrinkling her nose, and then she sneezed.

"Yeah, back when you were a princess. You're still cool and fun now but you used to be so girly. I wonder what changed," Candlehead mused.

"Dunno," Vanellope shrugged, and sneezed again. "I don't look very princess-like right now, though, do I?"

"Nope," her friend giggled, "But I don't either. It's hard to look girly when you're covered in cocoa-dust." Vanellope nodded and sneezed again, glitching slightly this time.

_The clinking of chains._

The slight memory vanished as soon as it surfaced, and the confused president shook it off as nothing. Grinning instead, she slid back under her kart to perform some more work on it. She had to clear out the cocoa-dust, make sure everything looked as it should, maybe upgrade a part or two...

"You look busy." Vanellope bumped her head on the undercarriage of her kart, winced, and crawled out to see Ralph perched on a jawbreaker nearby. With a start, she realised that she was where they'd made their deal. Where she'd witnessed his strength that made her swoon...

"Yeah, I was just fixing up our kart," she explained, blushing slightly as she tucked a strand of hair behind her ear.

"Aww, the president is embarrassed," Candlehead giggled. "I'll just leave you two lovebirds alone." Vanellope felt her face heat up even more as the other racer left, leaving her alone with her boyfriend.

"So did you have a nice game day?" she asked awkwardly as she approached him. She shouldn't feel so nervous around him but for some reason she was very aware of how filthy she was right now.

"Yeah, as usual since we met. Plenty of quarters, lots of being thrown off the building, all that," he replied, reaching out a hand towards her. She smiled and jumped onto his hand, leaving her worries behind her on the ground. Someone who got thrown in the mud many times through the course of a day wouldn't mind a bit of cocoa dust, so what had she been so worried about?

"I saw," she agreed, smiling up at him. "You're so much happier now."

"Well, who wouldn't be happy with a sugary president as his best friend and girlfriend?" Ralph countered, and she giggled again. She really did sound like a princess when she giggled, even if she no longer resembled one in her racing gear.

"And I'm just happy to be racing. And to have you," Vanellope added, reaching up to kiss him on the cheek. She left cocoa dust on his skin but if he minded, he didn't show it.

"So did you win all your races today?" Ralph asked, stroking one large finger down Vanellope's back.

"Naturally," she grinned. "I told you, I was born to race."

"And you're an adorable winner," Ralph added, causing her to grin and blush at his pet-name for her. Before, it had been innocent but now it had real meaning. He thought that she was adorable, and this fact made her heart soar.

With Vanellope riding on his shoulder, Ralph made his way out to Game Central Station.

"So where do you want to go today?" he asked, holding a hand on her knee to steady her as he turned to look at the various games.

"I'm in the mood for Burgertime," she decided, pointing to the game. "Now hurry up, I'm hungry."

"I'd better not keep you waiting, you might have me locked in the Fungeon," Ralph chuckled. Vanellope shuddered slightly at the mention of the castle's 'fun dungeon', though she couldn't think why it had that effect on her.

Her stomach took precedence over her thoughts, and for a while Vanellope simply chowed down on her food (in a very un-princess manner) with no time to think. Racing really worked up an appetite. Meanwhile, Ralph polished off about three burgers.

"Is this a date?" Vanellope wondered after they'd eaten. It hadn't occurred to her before, but she'd been too hungry then.

"I guess it is," Ralph figured after pondering this. "It's probably not the most romantic of places but-"

"I don't care, I love it. I still get to spend time with you," Vanellope smiled. Ralph easily smiled back. "Next time, though, tell me when we're going on a date. I want to get changed into something more suitable." She glanced down at her still-filthy racing attire with a slight frown.

"Alright, fine. Next time we go on a date, I'll tell you so you can dress up all fancy. Deal?" Ralph proposed. The president smiled.

"Deal," she replied, and shook his hand. They talked, then- about their games, about their dreams, about their interests. It was just so easy to talk with Ralph, despite his social awkwardness, and Vanellope supposed that their bond had something to do with it- a bond forged in such grim circumstances was surely one that would last. And she loved him with all her heart and soul. Vanellope wondered where this sudden rush of girly feelings had come from, but maybe it was love.


	3. Chapter 2

"I.. I had a great time tonight, Ralph."

"Aw, c'mon. You're just saying that."

"I'm being serious, Stinkbrain!" Vanellope playfully crossed her arms and looked away from the tall 8-bit wrecker in front of her. Their date had finished about half an hour ago, and Ralph had just walked his candy princess home to her castle so she could get some shut-eye before the arcade opened tomorrow.

"Well... I guess it was alright," Ralph chuckled. "Then again, I'm always alright when I'm with you."

Now Vanellope gave a small giggle of her own. "You are such a sappy loverboy!"

"And you're a brat with dirty hair, so we're even!" Ralph returned. The unusual couple shared a laugh together. This was one of the things Vanellope loved about Ralph. When she was with him, she felt like she could be herself, or whatever she wanted. She didn't care what anyone else thought or what they might say. When Vanellope was with him, she wasn't a princess, nor was she President. She was simply Vanellope Von Schweetz, Sugar Rusher, former glitch, and girlfriend of a wrecker who saved all of Game Central Station from a megalomaniacal virus.

As the couple's laughter died down, Ralph and Vanellope smiled at one another. "Yeah.." the mint-green racer began. "But seriously, I did have a great time with you tonight, Ralph."

"Thanks, Vanellope," Ralph responded. "I tried my best. Not bad for a first date, huh?"

The small girl giggled again. Music to Ralph's ears. "Not at all, General Overalls!" she said, using one of the many... affectionate names she had for him. "But if you don't mind me asking, why did you decide to take me on a date tonight?"

Now there was a question Ralph didn't expect. "W-what? Can't a guy take his girl out just 'cause he wants to?"

"He can.." Vanellope began, "But I know you, Ralph. You're one of those guys who doesn't do anything unless he has a reason for it." Ralph stroked the stubble on his chin. _"Am I really?"_.

"So I'm asking, why did you take me out tonight?" the candy President asked again. She did know Ralph, and she knew that their nights together were mostly spent either in her kingdom or in Niceland. They didn't feel the need to visit other games. Vanellope had only brought up Burger Time as a joke, but Ralph had taken her anyway. He had taken her out for dinner! He had to have some motive for doing so.

"Um... Well..." Ralph fiddled with his hands. "I guess..". Catching himself mumbling, he took a breath and tried again. "I wanted to make it up to you."

"Huh?" the Sugar Rusher questioned. "Make it up to me? What for?"

Another breath, deeper than the last. "I remember what I did. After the first reset. My brief period of time as a Sugar Rusher."

"..." Vanellope was speechless. She didn't think Ralph remembered what she had come to think of as "The Critical Error".

"I hurt you. I hurt so many people. Your people! Your friends!" Ralph explained "I attacked them and took their code to become the greatest racer in the game!" the tall wrecker went on. "I was no better than Turbo!". Ralph suddenly felt an interrupting punch to his leg. He barely felt it, but he knew Vanellope had done it.

"Don't dare say that!" Vanellope almost shouted at her boyfriend. "Don't ever compare yourself to Turbo! You are nothing like him!"

Ralph sat down on the ground, as if trying to get as close to Vanellope's height as he could manage. "But I.."

The small candy girl jumped on his knee and looked him in the eye. "You weren't in control, you weren't in your right mind," she told him "You didn't hurt anyone. That was Racer Ralph, not Wreck-It Ralph."

The villain in red was confused. "But I was Racer Ralph. His memories are mine! I clearly remember using your love for me against you, arguing with and punching Rancis, taking out several other Rushers, amongst other things!"

"But you didn't do any of that!" Vanellope said back. "You were possessed by a virus, a little piece of Turbo left behind. He's gone now. I flushed him out for good with the second reset." The President paused before adding, "And Racer Ralph along with him."

Ralph felt a bit better hearing that. "But I still remember it.."

"Then forget it," Vanellope grinned, "And think of this instead." With that, Vanellope grabbed Ralph by his one fastened brace and pulled him down for a kiss. After a short second of shock Ralph quickly began to kiss back. Kissing had been something Ralph and Vanellope had thought about since they realised their feelings for each other. While it was easy for one of them to kiss the others hand or cheek or forehead, on the lips was a different matter, what with Vanellope being programmed to look like a kid and thus, having a much smaller mouth than Ralph's own. Their first few tries had been awkward, but after some trying however, they managed to be able to really kiss each other without any awkwardness or problems. It quickly became one of Ralph's favourite things about love, and while she wouldn't admit it, it was one of Vanellope's as well.

Content she had given her wrecker something good to think about, Vanellope pulled away, fighting the urge to giggle at Ralph's dazed face. "You're not Racer Ralph and you never were," she said, seriousness laced with tenderness evident in her voice. "You're Wreck-It Ralph.. My Wreck-It Ralph," she spoke as she wrapped her small arms around her boyfriend's neck and hugged him. Ralph brought a large hand up to Vanellope to hug back, the memories of Racer Ralph now seeming distant and unimportant. "And everything is fine now, so don't worry," the small candy princess told him.

The giant in red seemed content with this and rose to his feet, Vanellope jumping off him and landing on her own. "Thanks for that," Ralph said, "President Ponytail."

Vanellope smiled. "Anything for you, Ham Hands!"

After some more banter the two lovers shared one final kiss of the evening before Ralph left to return home. Vanellope watched him go before she opened the door of her castle and let herself in. As she closed the door she heard a familiar, sour voice.

"I see someone's had a nice night tonight," Sour Bill greeted his ruler and friend. Feeling warmth rush to her cheeks, Vanellope hid her face and shrugged. "It was alright."

Unfortunately, Sour Bill had noticed the red on his miniature monarch's cheeks. "Are you blushing?"

"Jeez, it's warm in here!" Vanellope quickly said, tugging at the collar of her hoodie for emphasis. "Then again, that's to be expected, what with the sun always being up in Sugar Rush and all..."

"You were with Wreck-It Ralph, weren't you?" Sour Bill wouldn't let up on his teasing.

"Sweet mother of monkey milk! What are you, my dad?" Vanellope playfully fired back at the round candy.

"No, no I'm not," the advisor to the President responded, "But what kind of a friend would I be if I didn't tease you every now and again?"

The President was impressed. "You're starting to let loose! I'm proud of you, Sour Bill!"

Sour Bill simply shrugged. "Well, I had a good teacher." Vanellope giggled at that, a real girly princess-y giggle which made Sour Bill's eyes widen. "I swear, Vanellope, you're becoming more and more like your old self! Maybe your visits to Niceland are affecting you."

"Hehe, maybe," Vanellope said.

Sour Bill continued, "I'm almost tempted to start calling you "Princess Vanellope" again."

Vanellope chuckled. "Don't get cocky, gumball!" All of a sudden she yawned, signalling she was tired. It had been a long day after all. "Well, I'm beat," she told her advisor. "I think I'm just gonna head up to my room and get some rest." Her advisor nodded. While he didn't really have to as far as Vanellope was concerned, Sour Bill chose to walk his monarch to her room. While last night was in the back of her mind, the memories were still fresh in Sour Bill's. He felt like he needed to make sure Vanellope was comfortable with sleeping tonight.

"Are you sure you're alright with sleeping tonight?" he asked, seemingly out of nowhere. Vanellope, unsure of why he asked, responded with, "Um.. Yeah. Why do you ask?"

Sour Bill scratched the top of his head. "Have you forgotten last night already?"

"Oh. That," Vanellope played with her ponytail. "I was hoping to.."

"What if you have that nightmare again?" the spherical sour candy asked. His President responded, "Don't worry. I won't."

Sour Bill shook his head. "How do you know?"

"It was just a nightmare! I don't know anyone who has nightmares two or more nights running, especially the same one!" the candy President declared. Sour Bill looked like he was going to say something, but held his tongue. Vanellope noticed this, but decided not to question it.

"I'll be fine," she told him. "Now, why don't you go be a good little advisor and sort out any papers or files or things for me to look at in the morning before the arcade opens?"

Sour Bill sighed. "As you wish, Vanellope." With that, he exited her room, closing the door behind him. Not bothering to change into any pyjamas, Vanellope just jumped into her pink bed without a second thought. Of course, she wouldn't have that horrid nightmare again! Her thoughts were still filled with memories of Ralph! Sighing a happy sigh (which she was glad no-one could hear), she reached under her pillow and pulled out a small Wreck-It Ralph plushie she had made. Holding the plushie close to her, she smiled and allowed herself to drift off into what she was certain to be a peaceful sleep.

* * *

Outside Vanellope's room, Sour Bill looked around, thinking of what he was about to do. Spotting a certain pair of guards on one end of the hallway, he called to them. "Wynnchel! Duncan! Can you come here, please?"

The eclair-and-donut cop duo approached the sour candy. "Hello Mr... Bill? Sir?" Wynnchel greeted him. "How may we assist?"

Sour Bill revealed his plan to the police officers. "I'm going to be heading out into Game Central Station. First I'll look in Hero's Duty for Calhoun. If she's not there, she's in Niceland with Felix. I'm going to get them and bring them here."

"If I may ask, Mr. Bill. Why do you need to do that?" Duncan asked.

Sour Bill hesitated for a second, then answered, "They're Vanellope's adoptive parents. And she's going to need them later tonight."

"Why?" the donut asked again.

Sour Bill took a deep breath, wondering if he should tell them or not. He looked away from them as he answered.

"She's going to have the nightmare again."

Wynnchel and Duncan knew what he meant. Sour Bill had told them about it while Vanellope was out with Ralph. "How do you know?" the eclair now asked.

Sour Bill sighed, almost guiltily. "I just know." The candy ball then began to walk away from the officers.

"Watch Vanellope's room! Let me know if anything happens when I get back!" he called to them as he left. Wynnchel and Duncan took their posts on either side of President Vanellope's room, patiently waiting for Sour Bill's return with Felix and Calhoun.

* * *

_Darkness. There was only darkness._

_Suddenly blaring heat was upon her. A single spotlight now shone on her, forcing her to shut her eyes. She felt a familiar, yet unwanted grip on her wrists and neck. She moved one arm to hear the unforgettable sound of chains, restraining her. Preventing her movement. She opened her eyes to see herself staring back at her. A mirror was in front of her, and she could see her current attire. Her princess dress, pink and pretty. Her favourite one._

_"Don't you look adorable?" a voice spoke mockingly. "This is who you once were."_

_'What was he talking about?' she wondered. She could wonder no more as she felt a hard kick to her back almost knock her down. In that moment, she thanked the chains for keeping her on her feet._

_She felt a hand grip her face, the gloved fingertips digging in to her cheeks."So pretty. So innocent," he spat. She felt the drops fall on her face from his forceful spit._

_"Well, I'm about to change that!"_

_A click. She heard it all too well. She saw the light from above shine and reflect off of a small, yet sharp, pocket knife in his hand. She didn't know what he planned to do with it, nor did she want to know. He was going to show her anyway. It happened before she knew it. A quick cut across her face. Followed by another, and another. With each cut, the blade pressed down a bit deeper._

_It hurt so much._

_She lost count of how may cuts he had made on her face. She could still feel the blood leaking from them._

_"Not such a pretty face now, are you, Princess?" he laughed. Her pain and misery made him smile._

_She couldn't control herself. Tears escaped her eyes as she shook and thrashed against the chains, even though she knew it was hopeless. Then all of a sudden, voices came through._

"Where is she!?"

"She's in there! We watched the door, just like he said! He told us he was getting you!"

_She heard a door open. Too terrified to think straight, she started thrashing again, getting nowhere. After a few seconds, she started to feel someone shaking her about.._

* * *

"Vanellope?" Calhoun urged, lightly shaking the shuddering, sleeping girl. "C'mon, kiddo. Wake up!"

A few shakes from the Hero's Duty soldier was all it took to wake her. Vanellope shot up, her eyes wide and red from her crying. She blinked a couple times, like her eyes were making sure she wasn't still in the Fungeon. She stared straight ahead, still shaken. Calhoun held the small girl in a hug. "It's alright. I'm here now. So's Fix-It. Sour Bill went and got us. We're here for you."

The words reached Vanellope's ears, confirming she was in her room. Feeling the arms around her she turned her head, seeing Sergeant Calhoun beside her. Knowing she was now safe, she let herself fall into the hug, the last of her tears now freely falling from her tired eyes.

The crying and fear now removed from the room, Fix-It Felix Jr, Sour Bill, Wynnchel and Duncan came in to comfort the President of Sugar Rush.

"Another bad dream, sweetie?" Calhoun asked the girl in her arms. Vanellope could only nod.

"Two nights in a row?" Felix said, concerned. "Must have been one heck of a bad dream. I mean, look at Vanellope!"

Confused, the Sugar Rusher raised a hand to her face, feeling small trails left by tears staining her cheeks. Lifting the hand into her hair, she found that sweat had made her raven locks all dry. "Um.. Mommy?" she asked the woman holding her, "Can I quickly go wash up?"

Programming of a soldier kicking in, Calhoun hesitated before allowing herself to remove her arms from her adoptive daughter. "Alright, kiddo. Go wash yourself off. Try and be quick." That being all she needed to hear, Vanellope gave her mother a kiss on the cheek before jumping off the bead and heading for the bathroom. Vanellope's room had a small bathroom just to the side so it wasn't far away. Turning the cold tap on by the sink, Vanellope threw a bit of cold water on her face, running her hands through her hair as she did so. She rubbed her eyes to really wake herself up after that dreadful dream. After wetting her face, she took a quick look at herself in the mirror, seeing her face and hair all wet. Vanellope sighed and reached for a towel to dry herself with. She wrapped her face in the towel, drying off her small head. To Vanellope's shock, when she pulled away the towel, she saw stains of blood-red. Looking back in the mirror, she saw a frightening image. Her face was all cut up, like in her nightmare. There were bleeding marks all over her cheeks and forehead. She couldn't help herself, she screamed.

Hearing the small girl's loud cry, Calhoun and Felix immediately raced into the bathroom to check up on their little girl. Sour Bill stood in the doorway with the two candy officers as he watched the Hero's Duty soldier and the good guy of Niceland check on Vanellope.

"What is it!? What's wrong?" Felix asked in a raised voice, showing his concern.

Vanellope, who had wrapped her face back into the towel, was back on the verge of tears again as she responded, "My.. my face!"

Confused, Calhoun asked, "What's wrong with your face, kiddo?" before realising the candy princess was covering her face with her towel. The blonde woman reached for the towel. "C'mon. Let Mommy see," she said gently. Vanellope tried to clutch her towel harder but the soldier was too quick for her, grabbing the towel with one hand and removing it, revealing Vanellope's regular "programmed cutesy" face. Small nose, big eyes, nothing out of the ordinary. "There's nothing wrong with your face," Calhoun said softly.

"Huh?" Vanellope uttered. Feeling her cheeks, she felt no cuts or marks of any kind. Looking in the mirror, she saw her face was as it had always been. "Wha-?" she began, "But.. but.. There were.."

"There were what, honey?" Felix questioned. "Come on. You can tell us."

Vanellope wanted to say there was nothing and try to change the subject, but what came out of her mouth instead was exactly what she didn't want Felix or Calhoun to know. "C-cuts.. and scars.. They were bleeding, j.. just like my dream."

The Fix-Its were taken aback by this sudden claim. Vanellope's nightmares involved her face being cut? What in Litwak's could she have been dreaming about?

"Cuts and scars?" Felix asked, shock evident in his tone of voice. "My lands, Vanellope. What were you dreaming about?"

This was what she wanted to avoid. She wanted to shift the subject far far away from this. But, it seemed she had no choice now. The question had been asked and now an answer must be given. Vanellope took a breath before explaining, "In my nightmare, the one I had last night.. I was in the Fungeon. King Candy's Fungeon, beneath the castle."

"Jeez, Vanellope!" Felix spoke, memories of his own time locked up in the "Fun Dungeon" coming back to him. "Why were you dreaming about that awful place?"

The small candy girl shrugged. "I don't know, but I think I was there a lot during the False King's rule. Anyway, I'm in the Fungeon, wrapped in glitch-proof chains so I can't escape," she continued. "Then I see a flash of red and I know someone else is there."

"Who's there?" Calhoun asked.

"I don't know. I can't see him clearly," Vanellope responded, "But I know he's a he. Anyway he.." the girl suddenly felt her mouth go dry and her heart drop. She really didn't want to say any more. But her mother was persistent, she needed to know what her daughter had been dreaming about. "What did he do, Vanellope?" she asked, softly yet stern.

"He.. He hits me," the girl spoke, her voice barely above a whisper. "He be.. beats me and I know he enjoys it. He uses his fists, chains, kn.. knives.." Vanellope shivered, the nightmare replaying itself in her mind. Her eyes squeezed shut, fresh tears now sliding down her face. His own heart breaking at the sight of Vanellope crying, Felix reached out a hand to try and wipe her tears. Opening one eye, the small girl saw her father's gloved hand reach towards her and, almost instinctively, she backed away slightly. Felix retracted his hand, fearing he had done something wrong. Vanellope didn't know why she did that. Why had she just backed away from her own adoptive father? The good guy of Niceland tried again. This time Vanellope stayed put, allowing her Daddy to wipe her tears with a single gloved finger.

"I.. I'm sorry.." the raven-haired girl spoke to her blue-hatted father. "I don't know why I did that. I guess it's because the person in my dream wears gloves. That's all I can really see of him."

"Heh-heh," Felix rubbed the back of his head. "I'll leave my gloves at home next time we come visit," he joked to try and lighten the mood. His attempt at humour was met with a glare from his wife. However, Vanellope did let out a small giggle, lightening the mood somewhat.

"Vanellope," Calhoun said to the Sugar Rush President, "How long have you been having these bad dreams? Just tonight and last night?"

Vanellope shook her head. "N-no. They felt like it was the first time, but in the back of my mind, I know I've had these nightmares before. That's why I made Diet Cola Mountain my hideout, you see. Because everywhere else, I'd have nightmares when I slept. But not there."

No-one noticed that Sour Bill had left the room.

"In fact.." Vanellope started again, an idea coming to her, "Can you take me there, please? I don't want to be a bother and sleep with you guys again."

"Oh, Vanellope! It's no bother at all!" Felix spoke for himself and his wife.

The small girl smiled. "Thanks, but I'd rather sleep on my own tonight, if you don't mind. I can handle that."

Ignoring Wynnchel and Duncan's offerings for a police escort, Calhoun and Felix walked Vanellope to her former sanctuary, Diet Cola Mountain. Once there, the girl quickly felt safe again. She knew she could sleep soundly here. She just wished she knew how to stop the nightmares all together, so she didn't have to rely on this hideout of hers to hide from them.

After Calhoun and Felix tucked her in and kissed her goodnight (and Calhoun gave her back her Ralph plushie she had picked up from her room, to Vanellope's embarrassment), the Fix-Its were just leaving Diet Cola Mountain when Vanellope suddenly spoke up. "Mom? Dad?"

The couple turned back. "Yes, sweetheart?"

Vanellope hesitated for a moment, then said, "Don't tell Ralph. About the nightmares. I don't want him to worry."

Felix gave an unsure look to his wife, but said nothing as the two of them left Vanellope to her slumber.

* * *

**Sorry about the long wait for this chapter, my co-writer and I had a busy week last week. Speaking of co-writer, you might notice that there's a mix of Australian English and American English in here. That's just because I'm picky about including 'u's in words, but hopefully that's not too much of a problem. Thanks to everyone for showing their interest in the fic!**


	4. Chapter 3

Waking up in Diet Cola Mountain was quite bittersweet. While it was nice to be back in her old hideout, the reason for being there really spoiled the moment. As she sat up in her comfortable sponge bed, Vanellope hugged her Ralph plushie close to her and inhaled the sweet berry scent that it was infused with. She still felt the giddy warmth that she'd felt the day before during and after their date; not even the recurring nightmare could take it away. Although, she mused, the warmth could have been coming from the radiant Diet Cola Hot Springs. But no, there was definitely some of that inner warmth there as well. It made her happy.

The happiness stayed with her and she walked out of her old home smiling like a lovestruck fool. She'd never felt quite like this before, and she liked it.

"I trust by your smile that you slept well?" Sour Bill asked her, snapping her back to the present. Her advisor was waiting just outside the secret entrance, looking relieved for some reason. He was a strange one, that sour candy.

"Um, yeah, I did," she admitted, feeling her face turn a shade of red as she played with her hair. The resulting picture was oddly princess-like. All that was missing was the dress.

"I'm glad," the sour candy commented. "Now, we'd best get you back to the castle for some breakfast. You can't race on an empty stomach."

"I probably could," she shrugged, but skipped ahead of him towards her castle.

Even after a few weeks of being president, Vanellope still felt like a child on Christmas morning when she sat down to a banquet of deliciously-sweet Sugar Rush delicacies. There were the pancakes and waffles, served with maple syrup collected fresh daily from the maple tree orchard, as well as several sugar-dusted fruits and the sweetest juice imaginable.

Sour Bill couldn't help but feel a touch of pride at the wonder gleaming in his charge's eyes as she first took in the sight of the table and then ate her way through about half a stack of pancakes and a third of the stack of waffles.

"Princess, don't you think you should eat some fruit?" he suggested, noting that she barely touched the fruit bowl.

"That's president to you, mister," she retorted, jabbing her fork at him and nearly splattering him with maple syrup and pancake.

"A president would eat the fruit," he suggested instead after rolling his eyes at her actions.

"Really?" she asked, pausing with her fork halfway to her mouth. After considering the fruit a moment, she plucked a particularly-large strawberry from the bowl and bit into it after inspecting it to ensure that powdered sugar coated every tiny bit of it. And when she tasted the fruit, her eyes widened and she couldn't have just one. Sour Bill could've laughed at her reaction, but he had to keep up his stoic appearance. It was in his code.

After breakfast, Sugar Rush's president pushed her chair away from the table and jumped down onto the floor as though she hadn't just eaten three times her size in food. Rather, the food seemed to energise her and had her all but bouncing off the walls as she made her way up to her bedroom and straight into her bathroom. The grinning face looking back at her was her own syrup-covered one, with no signs of the blood that had been there the night before. It was just her mind playing tricks on her, that was all. Just a stupid, freakishly-real hallucination.

"The arcade will be opening in five minutes," Sour Bill announced from the general vicinity of her bedroom.

"Yeah, yeah, okay, I'm coming," she muttered, and removed the candies from her hair so she could brush out the messiness from sleep. Of course, racing would just mess it up again in about five seconds, but it was the thought that counted. After a few quick rakes of the brush, Vanellope tied her hair back with the small length of red liquorice and then threw her hair candies into the air, grinning with closed eyes as they settled randomly over her hair.

"Did you brush your teeth?" Sour Bill asked, halting her mid-skip as she made her way out of the bathroom.

"No time for that!" she declared, and then zipped into her throne room and drove her kart out to the track where all of the racers and residents had gathered to begin the game day.

"Late as usual," Taffyta scoffed with a smirk. Vanellope stuck her tongue out at her.

"A princess- er, president- is never late, everyone else is just early," Vanellope replied, slipping her goggles on. The sting as they snapped onto her face only hurt a little. But then the quarter alert sounded and there was no time for conversation- only racing.

The game day passed by without too much incident. During Litwak's half-hour lunch break, Ralph came over to Sugar Rush to spend time with her. That warmed Vanellope's heart (although she didn't think it was possible for it to get any warmer) and gave her the kind of thrill that only many victories could.

"Litwak's returning," Yuni announced over the PA system that was connected to every game.

"I'll see you later," Ralph promised his girlfriend. Vanellope smiled at him from where she sat on a branch of one of the candy cane trees, blushing as he brushed a wayward strand of hair behind her ear.

"Go and wreck it," she urged him with a giggle, punching his arm in a friendly manner.

"And you go win those races," Ralph chuckled at her. He stole one more kiss before making his way through the forest with all the grace of a man who was certainly not with the candy tree department. Vanellope laughed at the crashing that followed him but began to make her own way out of the trees as well, glitching from branch to branch until she reached her kart where she'd parked it on the track.

For once, she made it back early so was able to see the gamer picking the track. It was displayed on the billboard and her heart raced as Frosty Valley was selected. That was the site of her great victory, when she'd beaten that imposter once and for all. She hadn't raced on it since then, for some reason the gamers preferred the other tracks. She'd heard that it was an advanced track anyway due to the slipperiness of the road caused by the ice cream.

"Let's do this," she grinned, and felt her code hum with excitement.

She could still remember the look on that guy's face when she passed him on the road. He'd looked so surprised, not to mention stupid! She was so busy with the memory that she almost drove off the road but, before she could correct herself, the gamer directed her onto the part of the track that was a dead end according to the signs. Did this racer really know what they were doing? Had they just chosen the track because they liked ice cream? She braced herself, prepared for a game over, as she flew through the air.

But then the atmosphere suddenly changed. The icy wind became chillier and damper. Opening her eyes which she'd squeezed shut, Vanellope was surprised to find that she was driving on a very icy road inside the gigantic ice cream mountains. Now she remembered! Turbo had taken this shortcut before and taken her by surprise before he'd... no, don't think about that now! Concentrate on winning! Taking a deep breath, she concentrated on letting the more experienced gamer steer her along the road until finally she thudded down onto the one that she remembered. At that, she breathed a sigh of relief. Now, this was familiar territory!

After zooming out of the icy tunnel, the finish line was in sight. Vanellope gripped the steering wheel tighter in her glee. She was going to win! This race was hers!

Snowanna shot past her with a power-up, but Vanellope knew how to counter that, as did the gamer controlling her. Her glitch was more powerful than any power-up in this whole entire game! That was why she was the favourite among gamers, after all. As the gamer tapped into her secret power using the combination of button-presses that only the most advanced gamers knew about, Vanellope felt her code jerk her forward in front of Snowanna and she crossed the finish line in first place with a whoop of joy.

The trophy presentation room was kept in darkness, at least until the first-place winner stepped into the space. At that, the room lit up with a white glow and the trophy was illuminated where it hung high up suspended from a rope made from the same material as Vanellope's hair-tie.

No matter how many times she won the trophy, the excitement never faded. There was just something special about stepping forward to accept the trophy as it floated down from the ceiling. Dust motes swirled around Vanellope, although the gamer probably couldn't see them. They probably saw them as sparkles.

When Vanellope smiled and waved at the gamer, she was really smiling and waving at the game console across from hers. Ralph looked very different in his game's pixels, but Vanellope didn't mind. It was still him, even if he looked different. And, of course, there was the joy that came with winning again. It put a certain charge in her code, lending her extra excitement and energy. She loved winning, that was the pure and simple truth.

When the game day ended, Vanellope met Ralph in the middle of Game Central Station. She jumped onto him with renewed vigour, grinning with hyperactive energy practically radiating off her.

"I gotta say, kid, I didn't think you'd make it through that tunnel," Ralph admitted, waiting until she'd settled onto his shoulder before he moved again.

"It was mostly the gamer," she admitted, looking at her hands. "I just couldn't stop thinking of how that was where Turbo tried to kill me. You must think that's stupid, huh?" She was surprised to feel Ralph lift her up and bring her in front of her face in his cupped hands.

"I don't think it's stupid," he assured her gently, using the same gentle tone that he always used whenever he meant what he was saying. "I think almost getting killed is enough reason to be scared." Vanellope smiled at that but still didn't entirely feel comfortable.

"But what if one day a gamer chooses that track just because they like ice cream?" she worried. "I can't just freeze up every time I go past there. I have to stop being such a diaper-baby and act like the good racer I know I am." She clenched her hands into fists and looked imploringly into Ralph's eyes.

"From what I've seen of your racing, there's only one thing you can do," Ralph figured, his face a mix of love and excitement.

"And that is?" Vanellope wondered, her heart beating faster at his expression.

"You'll just have to practice on that track and keep practicing until you know it inside out and aren't scared anymore," he finished. His words gave her comfort even as she realised that she would've thought of that herself. Eventually.

"And will you help me practice?" she requested. "I mean, I can do it myself but you seemed to like watching me learn how to drive again so maybe you'll like seeing me again this time."

"If I have time," Ralph shrugged, though she could tell he was joking as soon as she saw the mirth gleaming in his eyes.

"Like you have anything better to do," she cackled. "You have the social skills of a brick wall."

"Alright, alright, I'll watch you," Ralph agreed, laughing.

"Shake on it," Vanellope ordered him after spitting on her palm and holding her hand out.

"Okay," he sighed, acting as though it were a burden. After shifting Vanellope to just one of his large hands, Ralph spat on his own palm and shook on their deal.

"Eww, it's like a lake of saliva," Vanellope complained, wiping her spit-covered hand on Ralph's overalls.

"You made it a spit-handshake deal," he reminded her with a gentle smile and laugh. "This is on your head." Vanellope pouted at that. The idea had worked so much better in her head. But then she suddenly glitched onto his shoulder and jumped onto his head.

"And now I'm on yours!" she declared with a laugh. "Onwards, my stinkbrain! To Tappers!" He laughed and lurched forward, causing her to cling tightly and painfully to his hair just to stop herself from being launched across Game Central Station. Their laughter echoed around the vast space, and Vanellope felt like she was on top of the world. Both literally and emotionally. With Ralph there with her, there was nothing that could stop her from achieving her dreams.


End file.
